Once again, it seems, the big stick is being brandished at motorists in a bid to drive them off the roads and on to public transport.

The latest proposal for an assault on the drivers whose vehicles choke up West Yorkshire's roads at peak times comes in the county's first Local Transport Plan. It proposes, among other things, a cut in the number of parking spaces in the towns and cities and higher charges for the ones which remain.

Yet again, the other half of the formula for persuading motorists to switch to buses and trains has been ignored: better public transport.

There is no disputing the fact that there are more vehicles on the roads at peak times than the network can comfortably cope with, or that the situation would be greatly eased if more people left their cars at home. Yet the alternatives are hardly tempting.

This week we have seen the local rail network shut down by the weather, with commuters having to rely on their cars to get to and from work. Even in normal circumstances, many trains are uncomfortably overcrowded and too often fail to turn up.

The shortcomings exposed by the Hatfield crash have not boosted confidence in the railways in general. And Bradford's bus services, improved on some routes by the introduction of the Overground network, have been severely criticised for other changes which have left many travellers feeling abandoned.

The big stick needs a carrot or two to accompany it if it is to achieve the intended effect without meeting massive resistance and resentment.